Prime Minister Files Criminal Complaint for “Fag” Tweet

Source: Çiçek Tahaoğlu, “Başbakan’dan “İbne” Tweetine Suç Duyurusu,”(“Prime Minister Makes Criminal Complaint for “Fag” Tweet.”) bianet, http://bianet.org/bianet/lgbtt/151457-basbakan-dan-ibne-tweetine-suc-duyurusu

The Prime Minister has made a criminal complaint against Levent Pişkin’s “Waiting for PM to declare, ‘I am a perfect fag. Obviously I will not learn how to be a fag from you.’” Pişkin stated, “Being gay is not an insult, it is an orientation. I will file a countersuit”

Prime Minister Erdoğan has made a criminal complaint against LGBT activist and the People’s Democratic Party’s District President Levent Pişkin.

Pişkin had tweeted “Waiting for PM to declare, ‘I am a perfect fag. Obviously I will not learn how to be a fag from you’” after the PM had announced, “I am a perfect Alevi.”

Prime Minister Erdoğan based his criminal complaint against Pişkin on the Turkish Penal Code’s Article 125/4, which states, “when the offence of insult is committed in public, the penalty shall be increased by one sixth and when the offence of insult is committed via press and publication, the penalty shall be increased by one third.”

Pişkin talked to bianet and said that he will file a countersuit for insulting homosexuality.

“Being gay is a sexual orientation. This does not constitute an insult. The Prime Minister has committed the crime of insulting a sexual orientation by filing a complaint.”

“I will also file a countersuit and ask for a symbolic 1 TL for damages for mental anguish.”

“I planted 3 million gays”*

Hakan Demir announced on twitter that the Prime Minister filed a criminal complaint against him for the same reason.

Demir had tweeted, “Waiting for the PM to declare, ‘Obviously we will not learn homosexuality from those. I am the finest of homosexuals, I planted 3 million gays.’”

The complaint letter stated that this tweet “contained heavy insult and embarrassing words” and because Demir is a blogger in a newspaper “he is followed by a wide audience and is a role model.”

11 years ago

In 2002, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered a student’s question in Abbas Güçlü’s Youth View Program like this:

“Legal assurances for homosexuals’ rights and freedoms are a must. We do not think the treatment they get on some TV screens is humane.”

*Refers to PM Erdoğan’s statements, “I planted 3 million trees.”

Translator’s Note

*The Turkish term ibne is originally derived from the Arabic word “boy” and is widely used today as a derogatory slang for gay men. The Turkish Language Institute Dictionary defines ibne as “a passive homosexual man” and “a word said in anger.”  The term is being reclaimed by many in the LGBTI movement in Turkey. The court case of Levent Pişkin can be seen as a critical instance of such reclamation.  In this sense, ibne’s current connotations lie somewhere between the American English terms “fag” and “queer.”

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